Carton game devices



Aug. 28, 1962 N. J. VILLA CARTON GAME DEVICES Filed Sept. :5, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 26 2 /42 I; I P

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INVENTOR. NICHOLAS J. VILLA BY 1962 N. J. VILLA 3,051,488

CARTON GAME DEVICES Filed Sept. 3, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. NICHOLAS J. VILLA G E A 7 7 021%? 1962 N. v.1. VILLA 3,051,488

CARTON GAME DEVICES Filed Sept. 3. 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. NICHOLAS J. VILLA ATI'FRNEV United States Patent ()filice 3,051,483 Patented Aug. 28, 1962 3,951,488 CARTON GAME DEVIGES Nicholas J. Villa; 267 Ege Ave, Jersey City, NJ. Filed Sept. 3, 1959, Ser. No. 837,863 1 Claim. or. 273-105 This invention relates to the art of amusement devices and more particularly concerns a game of skill employing a pivotally mounted balanced carton.

According to the invention there is provided a compartmented carton of the type generally used for packing eggs and other fragile articles. The base of the carton is provided with a stand which pivotally supports the base. The cover of the carton is placed under the base. Marbles, plastic balls or other spherical objects are thrown into the compartmented base by a player. If the balls are thrown in a proper manner they remain in the base and the player scores points or credits for the successful throws. If the balls are unskillfully thrown, the base tips over and the balls roll out of the base into the cover which serves as a tray, so that the player fails to score.

It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide a balance game employing a packing carton adapted to receive and hold properly thrown balls.

It is a further object to provide a compartmented carton game with a stand for pivotally mounting the carton in a balanced position to receive balls thrown therein, and having a tray for receiving balls falling out of the carton.

It is a still further object to provide a game of the character described wherein the stand is a wire member adapted for being rested on a flat surface, for being inserted in the ground or for being held in the hand of a player.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the Various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a carton game embodying the invention, the carton being in a closed position.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the cover of the carton.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the base of the carton with side flaps shown in open position.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the game in open playing position.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the game in open playing position.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is perspective view of one form of stand usable with the game.

FIG. 9 is an elevational view of another form of stand usable with the game.

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing a modified form of carton game.

FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view taken on the plane of the line l111 of FIG. 10, playing pieces being shown.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the stand used with the game.

FIG. 13 is a bottom perspective view of the cover.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the tray used in connection with the device of FIG. 10.

FIG. 15 is a perspective View of one of playpieces.

FIG. 1 shows a rectangular fiberboard carton 10 of the type used for packing eggs or the like. This carton includes a base 12 and a cover 14. The cover as shown to best advantage in FIG. 2 has a flat wall 16 with outwardly flaring side Walls 15, 17 and end walls 18, 20.

Apertures 2'2 are formed along the side wall 15 for engaging on projections 24 formed in an upper side flap 26 of the base, best shown in FIG. 3. The side walls 15 and 17 are formed with spaced bowed portions 26 which engage on corresponding convex sides of spaced bowed portions 28 formed in the flaps 26 and 27' of the base.

Flaps 26 and 27 are integrally formed at hinge portions 25 with the bottom portion of the base. This bottom portion is molded to form a plurality of compartments 30. The compartments have fiat inclined walls. 32 tapering toward each other and terminating in flat, rectangular centrally located outer walls :34. The inner sides of the walls 34 may be lettered AF as indicated in FIG. 3 for identifying the compartments in playing the game. A central longitudinal ridge 36 is formed in .the base for separating the compartments into two rows. The compartments in each row are separated by transverse webs 41. Sides 33 of the compartments are curved at least in part. The inner concave sides of the bowed portions 28 in the flaps are aligned with concave parts of the outer side walls 33 of the compartments 30.

To adapt the carton for playing the game there is provided a straight wire rod 40 which passes transversely through the ridge 36 and through webs 41 at opposite sides of the base between compartments marked C and D as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The rod 40 is supported in loops 42 formed at the upper ends of arms 43 of a wire stand 44-. This stand is bent to form a flat U-shaped base as clearly shown in FIG. 8. The base 46 supports the arms 43 at an angle to the base of the stand; A crossbar 45 secured between the arms of base 46 cooperates with the bight portion of base 46 to support the tray 14 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The inner sides of flat rectangular ridge portions 47 may be marked with numbers 49' to indicates point scores in the game.

Cover 14 is inverted under the base 12 to provide a tray for catching balls or mables M used in playing the game. FIGS. 4-7 show the carton set up for playing the game. The base 12 is disposed at such an angle to the horizontal plane H that the lower wall 32 of each compartment is disposed in a plane P at aslight downward slant to the open ends of the compartments. Plane P is disposed at a small angle T with respect to the horizontal plane H. Rod 40 fits friction-ally in the 'body of the base through which it extends. The rod is engaged rather tightly in the loops 42. Thus, the base 12 can be tilted to the angular position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and will remain in this position until it is pivoted clockwise .or counterclockwise by balls thrown into the compartments.

The object of the game is to throw the balls so skillfully that they all remain in the base 12 without upsetting it. Suppose the base is initially in the position shown in FIG. 4. If a ball M as shown in the drawing is. thrown in one of the lowermost compartments A, it will at once roll out as indicated by arrow 50 because the lower compartment Walls 32 are downwardly'inclined. If the ball is thrown into any one of the compartments A-C, the ball will also tip the lower end of the base further downward which increases the slant of the walls 32 to the horizontal plane and the ball will roll into tray 14. If the ball is thrown into one of the upper compartments DF, its weight and the force of impact on the base will cause it to tilt clockwise as indicated by arrow 52, partially moving the base to a horizontal position. The player may now throw one or more balls into the upper compartments without upsetting the base. If too many balls are thrown into the upper compartments, the base will tilt too far clockwise as viewed in FIG. 4 and the balls will all fall out of the base into the tray 14.

The player is required to throw the balls in such a manner alternating between the upper compartments DF and lower compartments A-C that the base never becomes upset as it pivots on the rod 40.

The side flaps 26 and 27 serve as deflectors and guide members since any ball which falls on a flap will be guided in the trough of a bowed portion 28 into the compartment 30 aligned therewith, as indicated by arrows 54. The tray 14 may be located to catch all balls falling out of the base.

FIG. 9 shows another stand 60 formed from a single piece of wire twisted to form a leg 62 pointed at one end 63 so that it can be inserted into the ground G. The stand has two arms 64 provided with loops 42 for engaging the rod 40. The carton will be pivotally mounted on rod 40.

Referring now to FIGS. 10 to 15, inclusive, the modified form of carton game 10' shown herein consists of a base 12', a cover 14, a tray 66 for partially housing the base and cover, and a stand 44 for pivotally supporting the base and cover. The base 12 is somewhat similar in construction to the base 12 of the form of game 1-0 in FIG. 1 with its bottom molded to form a plurality of compartments 30'. The compartments have fiat inclined walls 32 tapering toward each other and terminating in flat, rectangular centrally located outer walls 34'. A central longitudinal ridge 36' is formed in the base for separating the compartments into two rows. The compartments in each row are separated by transverse webs 41. The sides of the compartments are curved at least in part.

The cover 14, as best shown in FIG. 13, has a flat wall 16 with outwardly flaring side walls 17 and end walls 18', The rear or bottom surface of the cover may have advertising indicia 65 printed thereon.

The tray 66 is formed of semirigid cardboard or the like and is rectangular in plan with a flat bottom wall 68, a low front wall 70, side walls 72 and a high rear wall 74. The side walls are triangular in shape, the upper edges thereof being inclined downwardly and forwardly from the rear wall 74 to the front wall. The bottom wall 68 is lined with a plate 76 of similar material. The tray is open at the top.

The base 12' in nested relation in the cover 1 4' is adapted to be supported on the bottom plate 76 on bottom wall 68 and is adapted to be partially housed by the side and rear walls of the tray. The support for the carton comprises a wire stand 44' shown to best advantage in FIG. 12. The stand is formed of a single piece of round wire shaped to form two spaced legs 78 terminating at their free ends in angular feet 80. The wire is encircled upon itself to form two circular loops 82 at the other ends of the legs 78 and continues into two reaches extending toward each other to form a V-shaped leg 84 with a looped angular-shaped foot 86. The feet 80 and 86 are adapted to be embedded in the plate 76 as shown in FIG. 11.

In order to support the carton 10 on the stand 44' pivotally, the base 12' with the cover 14' nested therein is placed between the legs 78 and 84 of the stand and a round wire rod 40' is then extended through the circular loops 82 of the stand and through aligned bearing openings in the side walls of the base and cover midway the ends thereof. The rod 40 is preferably formed with a hook 88 at one end to prevent accidental withdrawal thereof and to facilitate manipulation thereof. When the base 12' is nested in the cover 14, the base is reinforced to take the shocks when struck by the washers 92. Furthermore, such nesting provides a storage space for the cover.

The carton game 10' is played similarly to the carton game 10 with letters indicated at 90 on the fiat rectangular i ridge portions 47' serving to indicate point scores in the game. The playpieces, however, in place of spherical objects such as balls are constituted by metal washers or perforated disks 92.

If desired, several of the playpieces such as the washers 92 may be placed in the bottom of the cover 14' behind the base 12 to one side of the center thereof thereby changing the center of gravity of the carton 10 so that a greater number of playpieces must be thrown into the compartments 30' above the center of the carton in order to tilt the carton clockwise as viewed in FIG. 11 to balanced condition.

In this form of the game, the playpieces or metal washers 92 may be thrown against the rear wall 74 of the tray 66 above the Supported carton with sufficient force to rebound backwardly into the compartments 30' of the base. Furthermore, any playpieces that miss the base when thrown will fall to the bottom of the tray and the playpieces when they fall out of the compartments 30' drop to the bottom of the tray.

It is to be understood that these cartons are used pri marily for other purposes and are converted to create a game which may also include any suitable advertising material that is printed on the original carton. The game may be played with any type of game pieces, such as manbles, discs, washers, etc., made of plastic, glass, metal or of any other desired material. L

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent A balance game, comprising a generally rectangular box supported at an angle to the horizontal, said box having a plurality of pairs of longitudinally spaced compartments therein, a rod extending transversely and central-ly through the box between compartments, a wire support for the rod whereby the box is tiltable in an elevated position on the rod, said compartments being adapted to receive balls thrown therein, said compart-' ments having concave side walls, said box having side flaps hinged thereto, said flaps being formed with exterior troughs aligned with the concave side walls for guiding balls falling on the flaps into the compartments, said box being formed with webs transversely between the compartments and a central ridge longitudinally disposed between the compartments, said compartments having flat bottom walls and said ridge having flat portions adapted to carry indicia for identifying the compartments and for scoring points when balls are thrown into the several compartments.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 731,850 Bradbury June 23, 1903 1,072,954 Junn Sept. 9, 1913 2,016,661 White Oct. 8, 1935 2,173,865 Swenson Sept. 26, 1939 2,326,859 Hoover Aug. 17, 1943 2,415,780 Wolf Feb. 11, 1947 2,551,720 Bevis May 8, 1951 2,747,875 Martin May 29, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 875,316 Germany Apr. 30, 1953 3 s E I 

